Primary Care Educational Modules
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Educational Program for Clinical and Community Issues in Primary Care

To help experienced clinicians mentor and inspire others, the Bureau of Primary Health Care has developed the National Health Service Corps Educational Program for Clinical and Community Issues in Primary Care. Through experiential learning, problem-solving, and interactive exercises, the modules help current and future clinicians begin to understand contemporary practice settings, cross-cultural issues and disease patterns. The modules aim to stimulate discussion of clinical, social and personal issues among those considering careers in primary care. Specifically, they are geared toward individuals training to become primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, physician assistants, dental health professionals and mental health professionals.

For clinicians already practicing in a primary care setting, the design of the modules facilitates their use in Continuing Professional Education through self-study and in workshops. The case studies in each module allow clinicians to remain up-to-date on and be prepared to handle important cultural and clinical issues that they are likely to face in the practice setting.

Modules are available as PDFs and include:
You will need Acrobat Reader (free download) to view these PDF files.

• Primary Care Educational Module Introduction (PDF 36KB)
  
  
• The Discussion Leader Guide (PDF 60KB): Suggested teaching methods for clinicians with limited experience in leading group discussions.
  
  
• Adolescent Health Module (PDF 207KB): Office-based health promotion for adolescents, smoking cessation, STDs, chronic illnesses, and suicide in adolescents.
  
  
• Adolescent Pregnancy Module (PDF 222KB): Adolescent pregnancy prevention, options counseling and managing pregnancy, and caring for the adolescent family after the baby is born.
  
  
• Aging Module (PDF 248KB): Functional assessment of the elderly, dementia and depression, and a community approach to elder homelessness.
  
  
• Child Abuse, Neglect and Domestic Violence Module (PDF 144KB): Child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, adult survivors of child sexual abuse, and domestic violence.
  
  
• Module on Cross-Cultural Issues in Health (PDF 177KB): Issues of ethnocentricism, language and communication in health care, and culturally appropriate medicine.
  
  
• Ethics Module (PDF 151KB): Confidentiality and disclosing HIV status to a partner, ethical issues such as child abuse and coin rubbing, and aid in dying and physician-assisted suicide.
  
  
• HIV/AIDS Module (PDF 176KB): Preventing HIV transmission, providing early intervention care, and managing common opportunistic infections.
  
  
• Mental Health Module (PDF 150KB): Schizophrenia, recognizing and addressing depression, and panic disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
  
  
• Oral Health Module (PDF 215KB): Oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS, oral cancer, and rampant infant and early childhood caries.
  
  
• Personal and Professional Development Module (PDF 196KB): Communicating with peers, continuing education, healing the healer, and stress management.
  
  
• Substance Abuse Module (PDF 238KB): Substance abuse and addiction as medical illnesses, initial management/treatment of substance abuse, and the impaired professional.
  
  
• Precepting Guide (PDF 130KB): A guidebook outlining the roles and responsibilities for health professions students, faculty and preceptors in developing, conducting and evaluating externship or clinical experience in a community setting.
  
  
• Selecting a Community-Responsive Residency (PDF 39KB): A booklet describing the options for graduate training in community-based practices.

The modules are made up of three to four topics that can be presented and discussed during a 45-minute to hour-long session. The modules can be used independently or as a series. Each module includes: an overview of a problem, learning objectives, a learning activity with one or more case studies, and questions to facilitate discussion with suggested answers. Also included are a recommended time schedule, an annotated bibliography, an audio-visual resource list, slides, and copies for making overhead transparencies or handouts. Some modules include a community-oriented primary care case focusing on the diagnosis and planning of an intervention for a community health problem.